I'll Be Home For Christmas
by lj-writess
Summary: I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams... "Family" and "Home" comes into question during the Christmas season and Steve is having a hard time finding the true meaning of the two. Can a little bit of snow and Christmas magic help change those ideas and show him the true meaning of Christmas? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**So... I know I should be working on _Ohana Mau Loa_, but unfortunately, two days ago this idea popped into my head and of course, it was Christmas/New Year themed and I didn't want to wait another year to post so here we are...**

**Anyway, so I promise that I'm working on finishing my other story, I just had to write this and post it. This is set directly between the end of season four and the beginning of season five. This is all fluff, no slash, all that fun stuff. There's not much backstory for this, it's just a fun little story. I would love to hear what you guys think, so please, leave a review and tell me how you like it! **

**Music: _Family by TobyMac, I'll Be Home For Christmas by Michael _****_Bublé, _****_Home by Daughtry, White Christmas by Frank Sinatra_**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

**_White Christmas_**

* * *

Danny should've looked back.

He should've turned around in time to see Steve's face fall as the last of the Five-0 team left work to spend the holidays with their families. The governor had given them all the week off, promising to let them know if something major came up. On Friday, five days before Christmas and Five-0's last day of work until the next year, they had thrown their own little makeshift Christmas party. The four members of Five-0 plus Jerry and Max spent their last day drinking coffee and hot chocolate and laughing around the TV animated fire Chin had put up on the computer table, laughing at the secret Santa gifts going around.

Kono got some specially made surfboard wax and a few books on the art of surfing from Max, and the doctor had gotten some vintage Star Trek comics Steve had found at a local comic shop. Kono gave Jerry a little stuffed alien doll and a few more books on UFOs, and Jerry had checked online and bought the motorcycle parts Chin had been looking for. Then Chin had pulled out an original Bon Jovi record he had been keeping for Danny's gift. The best gift of the night was Danny's present to Steve. Danny had been lucky to draw his partner's name, he secretly had been hoping to. He had the perfect present.

When Steve had picked up the box, he stared at it suspiciously as Danny grinned the entire time. Partly, Steve was waiting for some surprise or something to jump out at him. He hadn't forgotten when they had given him a grenade-shaped cake only to use salt instead of sugar. Steve cautiously opened the box as Danny practically vibrated in excitement. When Steve had pulled out the mug and held it up so he could read it, he broke into loud and genuine laughter. The rest of Five-0 had been left in confusion until Steve turned the mug around and showed them. In the center of the cup was the Navy SEAL Trident, while the name "Super SEAL" was bolded across the top. Laughter filled the office for a long time after that, concluding a quiet week.

As the team was getting packed up to go, they were talking about their plans for the holiday. Chin and Kono were going to their big family get together on the Big Island, a yearly event they were always looking forward too. Grace was with her mom through Christmas Day, but on the 26th Danny was taking her to New Jersey to spend Christmas with his side of the family.

"What are you doing, Boss? Got any big plans?" Kono asked, gathering her bags as Steve leaned further back into his seat and propped his feet up on the computer desk.

"Nothing big, looking forward to some peace and quiet. I've got a few buddies coming over before Christmas, so it'll be good to catch up."

"That's good, brah. We're gonna head out, see you guys later. Mele Kalikimaka!"

"See you guys later. Merry Christmas," Danny answered for both of them as Steve seemed to zone out as the cousins left. Steve vaguely noticed Danny turn and start talking to him, but it wasn't until Danny snapped his fingers in front of Steve's face did he really start to pay attention.

"Huh? What?"

"Did you hear a single thing I said?" Danny sighed, voice borderline on annoyance. Steve shot him a grin, hoping that Danny didn't see through the fakeness of it. When Steve shook his head, Danny ran a hand through his hair and started over.

"Are you sure you're good? I don't have Grace, but I know my friends won't mind you coming along if you want to hang out." While waiting for his turn with Grace, Danny was taking his time talking with some old friends on the police force and meeting up with them. Knowing Steve, he was going to spend the entire holiday swimming to the ends of the Earth.

"No, no, Danny, I'm fine. I told you, I'm meeting up with some Navy buddies. I'm good. Go have fun." Steve forced the words out calmly so Danny wouldn't think any different. Steve didn't want to be a bother. Danny raised an eyebrow wearily but accepted the answer. There would be no reason for McGarrett to lie to him, right?

"Alright partner, then I'm out of here. I'll see you back here in a little while, huh?" Danny prompted, grabbing his backpack and shouldering it as Steve looked up with a half-smile.

"You bet. Have fun in Jersey. Just make sure you come back," Steve teased and Danny just waved his hand over his shoulder for a response. Steve was glad because when Danny's back was turned, he let his face fall and his eyes slip shut. He hated this time of year. He didn't hate _Christmas_, there were just too many memories involved. Hopefully, he would just get home and sleep through the entire holiday.

Danny Williams didn't notice the battle of emotions on his partner's face as he walked out of the door.

Danny _really_ should've looked back.


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas morning wasn't always the brightest for Danny. There wasn't the sound of running footsteps to the tree and screams of delight at the presents under the tree. Of course, there _were_ presents underneath the brightly lit tree Danny had, just no kid to open it. One of the many reasons Danny hated being divorced, he didn't get to see his kid at Christmas. Another stupid thing Rachel had fought him on until she practically forced him out of Christmas, the visitation only allowing him to have her from the day after Christmas until New Years. It sucked, but it was still better than some. Some of his buddies barely got to see their kids at all during Christmas, and _that_ had to be the worst thing.

But the morning didn't have its usual magic. When he would pick up Grace the next day they would still do Christmas, but it was always different knowing that it wasn't actually Christmas. But until then, all Danny could do was wait.

About two hours into flipping through TV channels, Danny was bored. He already drank two cups of coffee, gone through his entire TV network twice, and only semi-watched the rest of whatever TV show he had landed on. It was only ten in the morning. He could be more productive than this. So instead, Danny flipped on some music and started to move. He packed up his clothes in his suitcase, mostly everything he needed was already laid out so it was all just putting it in his suitcase. He double-checked that all the presents were wrapped and he wasn't missing anything for when Grace came over. Danny went out to the garage and pulled out some more Christmas lights, whistling 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' as he wrapped some around the trees and bushes.

As the sun pushed over into the afternoon, Danny sat inside of his house satisfied. He felt much better. His house was decorated, the inside was lively and bright, all that was needed was his kid to complete the picture. As he sipped his coffee, Danny opened a text message from Chin and saw the picture of the cousins' whole family smiling for the camera. Danny smiled at the beautiful family and sent back a smiley face. Scrolling through his texts, Danny opened up the chat he had with McGarrett, scrolling down as far as he could to load any texts. Danny had sent Steve a Merry Christmas text earlier that morning, but the words underneath the text bubble read 'delivered' but not opened. Danny's brow furrowed and his stomach twisted over, but he had no basis for his sudden concern. It was Christmas. If McGarrett could find trouble at Christmas, Danny swore he would kill him.

Danny put his phone down and went back to his coffee, trying to focus on anything else besides the unread message. There were plenty of reasons Steve didn't answer. Maybe he was hanging out with the people he said he was, some of his Navy friends. At the same time, Steve never said anything about having friends in town. Almost all of Steve's friends were in active service, and rarely in Hawaii. Maybe he was sleeping in. But when Danny checked his phone, it was three in the afternoon. Late for an average person, extremely late for Mr. Routine. The more excuses Danny came up with, the more arguments he came up with himself. Slamming his empty coffee mug a little too hard down on the table, Danny decided enough was enough. It was Christmas Day. He wasn't doing anything, Danny's best bet was Steve wasn't doing anything either. So hopefully Steve wouldn't mind a little impromptu visit to the McGarrett household.

Blasting a mix of Bon Jovi and Christmas music in the Camaro on the way to Steve's house, Danny jammed along as Michael Buble came on with the tune he was humming earlier. It didn't exactly look like what Danny knew Christmas to be, snow on the ground, winter jackets and cups of steaming hot chocolate. But there were lights wrapped around all the palm trees, some even up to the leaves. While there was no hot chocolate, there was festive red and green shaved ice being passed around and shared between families and bright Christmas shirts. Sure, it wasn't the Christmas that Danny was used to, but this was how Christmas worked down here. It wasn't normal, but Danny was sure he could get used to it. At some point.

Making his way to Steve's house, Danny hummed the end of the song as he walked up the front steps of the McGarrett house. Danny was a little disappointed to see that Steve's house was the only house on the block that didn't have any lights, but everyone had different ways of decorating. Danny knocked on the front door, but after a minute of no one answering, Danny tried the handle and found it unlocked. Danny walked in without much of a thought, Steve had the unfortunate habit of leaving his front door unlocked. Inside, Danny was expecting a little more than he was greeted with. It was Christmas for Pete's sake. He wasn't expecting McGarrett to be the twelve-foot Christmas tree kind of guy, but he was expecting _something_.

Steve's living room was completely devoid of Christmas decorations. No tree, no lights, not even a little Merry Christmas sign or anything. It was as dull and boring as every other day of the year. Danny wandered around the first floor of the house, trying to find where his partner was. It was possible that he was out shopping, but nobody went shopping on Christmas day.

"Steve! You here?" Danny walked into the kitchen and a smile spread across his face as he spied the Super SEAL mug Danny had got him out on the counter. Danny noticed the dirty dishes and messy kitchen area knowing this was unlike McGarrett. He was a neat freak, the second something was out of place Steve had to jump in and fix it. Danny knew he had some OCD, but McGarrett had it bad. Picking up the mug, Danny held it close to his nose, trying to see how old the coffee was. Coughing slightly, instead of coffee Danny caught a strong whiff of whiskey, recent too. Danny glared down at the mug. _That's not good_. It wasn't below Steve to have a couple of beers here and there, but rarely has Danny ever seen Steve actually _drink_. Much more concerned, Danny called out again, this time walking up the stairs.

"Steve? Answer me, Steven!" Once Danny reached the top of the stairs, he heard a groan that sounded awfully like Steve. Danny pushed the half-closed door all the way open, revealing Steve sprawled out on his bed, pillow covering his head and half of the comforting falling off.

"Steve. What are you doing?" Danny put on his best dad voice, the one that worked on Grace every time. Ok, _almost_ every time.

"Go 'way Danny. 'M fine." Steve groaned, words muffled through his pillow. He didn't want Danny here, he just wanted his headache to go away and for the world to leave him alone.

"No Steve, I wouldn't call hungover 'fine'." Danny crossed his arms, knowing that this was already going to be a long conversation.

"' M not hungover."

"Yes, you are."

"No 'm not.

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"I'm not getting into this with you, Steven! God, you're such a child. You're hungover, so accept that and get functional so you can actually join the society." Danny could've sworn he heard Steve chuckling from under the pillow, and Danny was fed up. He stalked over to Steve's side of the bed and tore the pillow away from Steve, leaving the man blinking with his hands in the air.

"You think this is funny, McGarrett? We'll see how funny it is when I open the blinds and let you deal with the nice, bright Hawaiian sunlight," Danny threatened as he grabbed the cord to the blinds, pulling them down in one smooth movement and letting sunlight stream into the room. Steve cried out as the light made his headache even worse and grabbed another pillow to put over his face to block the light. Danny smiled to himself as he raided Steve's bathroom, grabbing some Aspirin and some water to take it with. When Danny came back into the room, he grabbed Steve's wrist and pushed the pills into his hand. Steve moved the pillow away from his face long enough to pop the pills in his mouth and swallow them dry, before putting the pillow back over his face.

"Steve. You have to drink water." Danny argued, picking up the glass he had just set on the counter. Steve shook his head from under the pillow, acting very much like a stubborn five-year-old.

"You drink it, or I pour it on your head. Your choice." Danny heard muffled swears from underneath the pillow before it was shoved aside and Steve slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position up against the headboard. Danny took one look at Steve's weary and bloodshot eyes and the deep bags underneath them and knew he wasn't getting any sleep. Stubbornly, Steve took the glass from Danny and started to take small sips from it. When Steve noticed Danny couldn't stop staring at him, Steve stared back.

"What?" Danny shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts.

"Nothing. How much sleep did you get last night?" Steve froze, glass gripped any tighter in his hand and it might've shattered.

"I went to bed around nine," Steve forced out, staring straight ahead. Normally, Danny would be inclined to believe him. Not this time.

"Nine last night?" Steve paused, unsure that he really wanted to answer Danny's question.

"... Nine am."

Danny leaped out of his seat on the edge of Steve's bed. "You went to sleep at nine _this morning_? No wonder you're hungover! I mean, I know people party on Christmas Eve, but this was not the partying I expected out of you." Steve opened his mouth to make an argument, but Danny shut down all excuses with a wave of his hand. "No. This is what you're going to do. You are going to finish that water, then you are going to take a shower. I'll be downstairs, then you are going to drink some coffee and eat something. If you're lucky, your hangover won't be that bad."

"I don't get drunk, Danno," Steve protested, but Danny didn't hear it.

"Obviously you do. Now get moving." Steve smiled and gave Danny a mock salute as he finished his water. "I mean it, McGarrett!"

Fifteen minutes later, Steve, freshly showered and already feeling better than he did before, walked down the stairs to Danny in his kitchen cooking away. Steve spotted his new Super SEAL mug on the counter and almost instantly regretting using that to drink. That must've been one of the first things Danny saw when he walked into his house. He really did love that mug, he didn't want Danny to think he was being reckless with his gift.

"Hey," Steve started carefully, unsure how Danny was going to react. Steve had a massive headache, but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. He was a Navy SEAL, it took a little more than a hangover to knock him over.

"How much did you drink?"

"Huh?" The sudden question knocked Steve off balance as he sat down at a stool on his counter. Steve could feel the tension in the room as Danny repeated himself.

"How much did you drink." Steve thought about it, his memory was somewhat fuzzy of last night. He didn't really want to remember, but he was given no choice.

"About three-quarters of that mug." Steve didn't take the time to count out shots or anything, he just pulled out the alcohol and poured it. Danny took one look at the glass and knew that three-quarters of the mug was equal to about four or five shots. Not enough to get you blackout drunk, but enough to give you a hangover in the morning.

"Feel better?" Danny asked sharply, not turning around from his spot in front of the stove. Steve could smell the eggs from his room as he stepped out of the shower, and they smelled _delicious_.

"Yeah. Thanks." The words were forced, much like most of the conversation. Steve didn't say anything else or even protest that Danny was moving around like it was his own home. At this rate, Danny had been to Steve's house so many times, he knew where everything was. After a few minutes of silence, Danny finished the eggs and dumped them on a plate, pushing it and a fresh cup of coffee in front of McGarrett. Steve obediently started to eat the eggs, not realizing how hungry he had been until he put the first bite in his mouth. And besides, they were really good. Danny watched Steve shovel his food while he drank his own cup of coffee, too many questions on his mind.

"You didn't have any friends over, did you?" Steve froze mid-chew and stared at his partner. Slowly, he finished chew and swallowed.

"Huh?"

"Are you going deaf? You heard me. When we asked what you were doing for Christmas. You said some Navy buddies were coming in town. Obviously, they didn't." Steve scraped the rest of his plate clean before answer, trying to form words that would make the most sense.

"I didn't want you guys to worry about me. You all have your plans, families to go celebrate with. I wanted you guys to have fun with them, not worry about me." Danny paused for a moment, trying to process all of this.

"So, you want us not to worry about you, but then come home and try to set a world record for the least amount of sleep for a Navy SEAL after drowning yourself in whiskey? Doesn't seem very smart." Steve shrugged, even lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile at Danny's exaggeration.

"I mean, this isn't my favorite time of the year, so sure." Danny couldn't believe the words coming out of Steve's mouth.

"Christmas time? You what, hate the lights, the spreading goodwill, and cheer, giving gifts around the Christmas tree, spending time with family-" Right as Danny finished his rant he found his mistake. Steve glared as Danny cut himself off. Steve knew it wasn't Danny's fault, he just made it all the more _real_.

"Yeah, _sorry _I kind of missed out on all of that when I was a kid," the sarcasm was heavy in Steve's voice, but once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. "Mom died in a car bomb, so then it was sad without her, then Dad sent me off to military school and surprise, the Navy doesn't do much for Christmas. Now coming back here, Dad's dead, Mom's alive but running some secret CIA missions. Mary's in California, and I'm here alone in my big ole' house where my father was shot and killed. And my mother obviously didn't care about me enough to stick around. I mean, what did I do that made my _own mother_ fake her death to get away, huh? I was a _kid_. A kid who just wanted to celebrate Christmas with his family. But I don't have much of a family anymore, so sorry if I'm a little grumpy."

Danny leaned back against the counter, coffee gripped slightly tighter in his hand. Rarely was he on the receiving end on a rant, but this was different. Steve had opened up and _really_ opened up.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…-" Danny started to apologize, know his choice of words set this off. It wasn't like he wanted to relieve painful childhood memories, but Danny was just glad that Steve decided to say what was on his mind, not just close off and change the subject.

"No, that's my fault. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It was a mistake."

"Hey, don't worry about it, partner. I'm glad you could tell me what was really going on," Danny said genuinely, finishing the rest of his coffee. "You're not a bother to us Steve. I don't know where you got that idea from, but it's wrong. So understand this, _you are not a bother_. I wasn't doing anything this whole time, you could've called up, we could've done something man."

"Yeah, I know. I just…"

"Steve. I get it. Don't worry about it. What happened, happened." Steve smiled, bigger this time, running a hand through his damp hair. Unsure of where the conversation was going next, Danny decided to ask away.

"So, I have an idea…"


	3. Chapter 3

"_Are you sure you are ok with this? I mean, aren't I barging in?"_

"Steven. What did we just talk about? You are _not_ barging in, you are invited, and everyone will love you. As soon as we get her approval, you're good to go." Danny said with a smile. He couldn't see his partner, but Danny could imagine Steve pacing around Danny's living room like a wild animal, hand gripping his phone like a lifeline. Danny was pulled in the driveway at Rachel's house, and Steve was back at Danny's waiting for the both of them. "Besides, this will be better than staying home alone, drunk and sleeping for the whole holiday."

"_Yeah, you're right."_ Once Danny had told Steve his idea, he was all for it. It truly was better than drinking all through New Years'. All they had to do was get Grace's approval, and everything was set. Steve fell silent as he heard Grace's voice from outside the car window talking to Danny, voice steadily growing louder as she got into the car.

"...and then I got a new camera, and new stuffed animals and Step-Stan got me this cool toy car that races around really fast. I thought it was kind of silly at first, but then I started playing with it and it is so cool Danno! I had so much fun!" Grace was talking a mile a minute, and all Danny had done was ask how her Christmas was. Normally, hearing about how much fun and all the amazing things Step-Stan got his daughter made Danny get jealous and overprotective, but he was so excited about his Christmas with his daughter, he ignored it. As soon as Grace took a breath, Danny jumped in before she could continue for another mile.

"Grace, Uncle Steve is on the phone with us," Danny said and he wished Steve could see the smile that spread across his daughter's face. For a tough Navy SEAL, he had certainly made an impression on his daughter.

"Hi, Uncle Steve!" Grace shouted into the phone, so loud even Danny winced.

"_Hey, Gracie, how was your Christmas?_" Steve asked genuinely interested. For a man with no kids of his own, Danny was amazed at how well Steve interacted with kids, he was a natural. Not at the beginning of their partnership, Danny still remembered Steve running into an elevator with his out and drawn, right in front of a kid. That was the old Steve. As soon as Steve met Grace, it was like something changed. Instead of SEAL Steve, he was Uncle Steve.

"It was great! I had so much fun, but now I can't wait to have Christmas with Danno!" Danny heard Steve chuckle over the line.

"_I know, I bet Christmas with Danno is pretty fun, huh?"_

"It's the best!" Grace beamed proudly at her dad, who couldn't hold back a smile of his own.

"Hey Grace, I had a question for you." Grace's smile didn't drop as she stayed silent long enough for Danny to fit in his question. "So you know how we're going to New Jersey to see Nonna and Grandpa, right? Do you think it would be alright if Uncle Steve came with us to New Jersey?"

Grace gasped and her eyes went wide. "Can he? Can he?" Danny's grin split even wider.

"I don't know, Uncle Steve do you want to go to Jersey?"

"_I'd love to, Danno. That alright with you, Gracie?"_

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm so excited!" Grace couldn't contain her excitement and started to bounce around in the Camaro, nearly shaking it. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! You'll love New Jersey, Uncle Steve!"

"_I bet I will, kiddo. You're going to have to show me all the best places, you know. We can talk about this more when you guys get home."_ Grace's eyes widened once again, to the point that Danny didn't think they could get any wider.

"Is Uncle Steve at home?" Grace whispered, even though Steve could hear her loud and clear over the phone. Danny leaned down close and whispered back.

"I don't know, I guess we'll have to find out," Danny straightened back up and talked at a normal volume. "We'll see you later, Steve."

"_See you guys soon._" As Danny ended the call, Grace was practically vibrating in her seat. She always got lots of toys and stuff from her mom and Step-Stan, but she always had more fun with Danno. Squeezing one of her new stuffed animals, Grace suddenly had an idea. Even though Steve wasn't on the phone anymore, Grace leaned over and whispered her plan to Danno, who smiled.

"That's perfect."

Steve paced back and forth, nearly wearing tracks onto Danny's floor. He wasn't nervous, no not at all. He was a Navy SEAL, he had seen combat and the worst in humanity. But somehow, going on a vacation with his best friend and his family was scarier than everything he had ever seen. Danny had texted him a few minutes after the phone call saying that they were making a quick stop, but it was a full half an hour after that text, and Steve was starting to get nervous. There was no reason for him to be nervous, actually none at all, but he felt like a high schooler about to ask his date to prom.

No more than thirty seconds after Steve started to debate calling Danny again, Steve heard the Camaro pull up and his stomach instantly settled. He pulled open the front door and was immediately ambushed by a short little girl in pigtails.

"Gracie!" Steve shouted, picking the girl up and hugging her tightly. Grace buried her head into his shoulder and giggled as Steve spun around in circles, Danny followed closely behind. Steve didn't miss the plastic Wal-Mart bag in his hand, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Forgot some packing for the trip," Danny shrugged. Steve put Grace down and she immediately ran for the tree, staring at the presents underneath in wonder. The lights on the tree shone multi-color lights all around her, and her eyes seemed to sparkle under the wonder of the Christmas tree.

"Danno, Santa came!" Grace shouted excitedly, and Danny nodded along with her.

"Yeah, he must've made two trips, because that looks like an awful lot of presents…" Steve said knowingly, discreetly elbowing Danny in the side when Grace wasn't looking. All Danny could do was shrug. It was his little girl.

"Can I open them?"

"Can you open them," Danny repeated, feigning shock, "of course you can open them. It may not be Christmas, but they still have your name on it!" Grace shrieked in delight and immediately sat down and started to select her presents. She was very specific in her methods, never taking too many big ones or too many small ones in a row. The 11-year-old was very patient and didn't violently rip into each of the presents like Danny had seen before. Steve was thrilled to just sit on the couch and watch Grace open all of the presents, a new look of delight brighter than the last. Nearing the end of the pile, Grace grabbed two presents with a very specific wrapping paper.

"Danno, this one for you!" Grace shouted, running the present up to her dad. Danny took one look at the wrapping paper and rolled his eyes. He shot Steve a look as he held up the camo wrapping paper present, amusement playing behind his eyes. Steve only smiled, not wanting to admit that the camo wrapping paper was one of only two rolls of wrapping paper he owned. Grace gasped after she ripped open the paper and held up the present inside. Danny gasped as he saw the matching green camouflage nerf gun Grace held in her hands, the gun almost as long as her arms itself.

"I love it!" Grace exclaimed, and Danny was lost for words.

"Steven, did you buy my daughter a _Nerf gun?_" Steve bit back his smirk and ignored Danny as he kneeled down to show Grace how it worked.

"See, so here you load the bullets, and every time you pull this back, it loads one of the bullets. You can aim by looking through that scope, then pull the trigger and _BAM!_ There you go!" Grace followed Steve's instructions and pulled the trigger, the bullet smacking Danny directly in the middle of the forehead

"I swear to God, McGarrett if you turn my daughter into some super-assassin killer, I'm going to send her after _you_," Danny threatened. Before Steve could respond, Grace pulled the trigger again, the bullet hitting Danny in the same spot it had before. Steve clapped and almost fell back laughing.

"Don't blame me, the kid's a natural!" Steve chuckled at Danny's mortified face, muttering what Steve knew were curses under his breath. Grace paused admiring her new toy from Uncle Steve to look at her father.

"Danno, open yours!"

"Yeah Danno, open yours," Steve mimic, getting another dirty look from his partner. But obediently, Danny ripped open the wrapping and found a bright blue t-shirt staring back up at him. On the front, there was a giant 'I Love Hawaii' with a large heart. Steve's face turned red from holding back his laughter, and Danny forced a smile for his daughter.

"I _love_ it," Danny grit out, glaring at Steve the entire time.

"No, no, keep going, there's more." While Steve had seen the shirt a few days before Christmas and knew it was the perfect thing for Danny, he did also get him a serious present. Remembering when the Pro Bowl had been in town the previous year, Steve had made a few calls and gotten a couple of favors. The next item that Danny pulled out was a Broncos jersey, number 18, signed by Peyton Manning himself. While Danny was a Jet's fan himself, he was a big fan of Manning. Normally a jersey like that would've cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars, but a lot of people owed Steve favors.

"Steve, you stupid son of…" Danny trailed off before he could finish, partly for his daughter and partly for the fact that Daniel Williams had quite literally run out of words to say. Steve beamed, knowing he would like the present. Grace didn't understand the importance of the jersey, but Steve was just proud of the fact that he had shocked Danny speechless.

"Danno, can we get Uncle Steve's now?" Grace asked as he finished unwrapping all of her presents. Danny shook off his shock and nodded, smiling at his daughter. Now it was Steve's turn to be surprised, and Grace took off around the corner to grab the Wal-Mart bag.

"Sorry we didn't have any time to wrap it," Danny said but Steve waved him off and he untied the bag. Inside sat a little stuffed animal seal, small and with a little Santa. "It was all Grace's idea, she picked it out."

"A seal for the Super SEAL!" Grace shouted triumphantly, and Steve held out the little seal.

"I love it. Thank you, Gracie," Steve leaned over and gave his honorary niece a hug, making sure the little seal was in on the hug too. Danny pulled out his phone and snuck a quick picture, saving it to show Steve later on. But now, it was time to go catch a flight.

"Ok, so who's ready to go to New Jersey, yeah?"


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as the plane touched down after ten hours, it had been one whirlwind after another. Steve had traveled all around the world with the Navy, seeing some of the most beautiful cities and nature, and also some of the most hazardous places. But they were all for work, Steve rarely got a chance to go somewhere just for _fun_. No fighting bad guys, searching for underground terrorist networks or trying to save the world. Steve had left all of that back at home. He was in Jersey to relax, and hang out with Danny and his family.

As soon as Steve stepped out of the airport and into the crisp New Jersey air. A cold gust of wind almost knocked him backward, and the temperature shocked him. As a native Hawaiian boy, he was used to eighty-degree Christmas, not below freezing. He shivered, the one leather jacket he brought not nearly thick enough for the twenty-degree weather. Even with sherpa lining in his jacket, he was chilled to the core.

"Little different from Hawaii, huh?" Danny said, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder. Danny and Grace were already prepared, their heavy jackets already tightened. Grace giggled as Steve's face flushed red with the instant cold, her own cheeks bright pink inside of her pink jacket.

"Yeah, just a little bit colder," Steve laughed, fascinated at the sight of his own breath. Again, he had been in the cold before, even the snow, but it was always for the job. He had never gotten the chance to actually _enjoy_ it. As their ride pulled up and Grace ran up to say hi to her grandparents, Steve pulled Danny aside. "Danny, I don't have any other jackets…"

"No, don't worry about it," Danny waved away Steve's worries. "We got plenty back at home, you can borrow them." Steve smiled and followed Danny as he walked up to greet his parents.

"Ma! Pa! Hey!"

"Daniel, how are you, honey? It's been so long!" Clara Williams pulled her son into a tight hug and he returned by kissing her on the cheek.

"Ma, you were just in Hawaii, it hasn't been _that_ long," Danny said with a teasing smile. Clara just shared a knowing smile before turning to Steve who was standing awkwardly behind them all.

"Steven! It's so nice to see you again!" Clara exclaimed, giving Steve the same treatment as her son. Steve hugged back politely, glaring at Danny when he gave Steve a funny look.

"It's great to see you, Mrs. Williams,"

"It's Clara, honey. Mrs. Williams makes me feel old," Clara joked, hooking both of her arms through Steve and Danny's, continuing on with the conversation as they made their way to the car. Eddie Williams drove and Clara continued to pepper Steve with questions about his family, Hawaii, his holidays. Steve answered all of them, if not a little uneasy with the sudden bombardment of questions. Steve had been through _torture_ many times, but he never felt as nervous until now. His foot bounced rapidly as he sat in his seat, grateful when Clara turned her attention to her granddaughter. He let out a small sigh of relief and stared out the window at the rest of the ride. Steve was extremely grateful to Danny for getting him out of the house, and inviting him to such a family event, but Steve knew that Danny had a large family, and it was a little much for a small family man like him.

Arriving at the Williams house was the next adventure, full of more hugs and greetings and voices talking and laughter. Steve stood in the middle of it all, trying to take in all of the people and decorations. The Williams house was a nice sturdy two-story house with stairs leading up to the porch. While the outside of the house was nearly symmetrical to the houses around it, brick and wood walls, the inside was updated and very modern. But that was barely able to be seen under all the Christmas decorations. With at least four trees in the downstairs alone, decorated to the brim of tipping over, plus tinsel running along with the banners and railings, candles lighting up tops of counters and fake snow bringing out the colors on others. The main tree sat in the living room and presents upon presents piled up underneath.

Before Steve got the chance to truly admire all the time and thought that was put in the decorations, he was introduced to the rest of the Williams family. He had met Danny's parents, Clara and Eddie. Danny then introduced his siblings: older sister Stella Russo with her son Eric, and his younger sister Bridget - who Steve had previously met before - with her husband and her daughter, Sophie. As soon as Sophie was done with all the introductions and saying hi to all the family, she grabbed Grace's hand and the two ran off together to go look at all the presents and talk. Steve wandered mindlessly, either following Danny around or stopping to play with Grace.

At one point, Steve found himself in the kitchen, watching amused as Danny and Bridget argued with their mom about cooking. Steve leaned casually against the wall next to some full-sized cabinets, watching the hilariousness unfold. In the beginning, it was quiet arguing, some small disagreements. Then it grew even larger until it grew into a full-grown shouting match. But it was different. As Steve watched the Williams family shout at each other on how to make Clara's lasagna for dinner, it was all good-natured. While insults and comments were thrown at each other, none of them were harsh and everyone laughed at the end. A few times Steve even found himself laughing when one of Danny's sisters made a comment about their brother.

During the laughing and the jokes, Steve noticed Grace and Sophie sneaking into the kitchen, the rest of the adults unaware of their presence. Steve watched as they snuck behind their grandmother's back and grabbed two cookies off the plate that was pushed to the back of the counter. When Grace turned around with a cookie stuffed in her mouth, her eyes went wide as she made eye contact with Steve. For a moment she was sure they were caught until Steve broke into a smile and pointed to himself. Grace grabbed one more cookie and her and Sophie ran back to the living room, Grace sneaking the cookie she stole into Steve's hand. Steve gave her a high five and the girls were gone, and Steve was back listening to the arguments and he ate his cookie.

Steve was about to go back into the living room and find someplace to sit, trying to be out of the way as much as possible before something out the window caught his eye. When they had touched down in New Jersey it had been cold, but the entire car ride Grace had been talking about how excited she was to see some snow. Steve stayed silent, but he found himself almost as excited as Grace was. He had seen snow in movies and pictures, but Steve couldn't remember he had _actually_ seen snow. The cookie went long forgotten as he walked to the kitchen windows, staring out in wonder at the snowflakes that fell from the sky.

Danny fully intended to continue arguing with his mother about how she was making the late-Christmas lasagna, but when he turned he saw Steve staring out the window at the freshly fallen snow, he backed out. Danny walked up behind Steve and put a hand on his shoulder, finally snapping out of his frozen state.

"Stealing cookies, I see," Danny cracked and Steve looked down at the forgotten cookie in his hand.

"Oh, yeah. Ask your daughter," Steve said slyly, and Danny shook his head.

"I can't believe you're bringing my daughter into your shenanigans," Danny sighed and Steve looked offended.

"Again! It wasn't me," He chuckled, turning back to the window to look at the snow. "I can't remember the last time I actually saw snow." Danny looked at the snow as it came down even harder, smiling. Hawaii doesn't ever get any snow, and he missed it. The snow was his favorite part of the winter. Christmas just wasn't the same without snow on the ground.

Just then, the rest of the Williams family came down and joined everyone in the kitchen, finally moving on from the lasagna to now trying to figure out who had taken some cookies before they were supposed to. Steve smiled guiltily and shoved the rest of his cookie in his mouth and wiped off all the evidence, while attention was brought on to the two cousins with matching cookie crumbs on their mouths. But with the rest of the family in the kitchen, there was less space to move around and the sound multiplied by three in volume. Everyone was talking over each other and smaller conversations soon started to dominate. Suddenly Steve was uneasy again and he shoved his fists in his jeans and fiddled with the pocket knife he kept in there to _do something_. Danny watched emotions flick all across his partner's face, and Danny knew what he needed to do.

"Hey," Danny tugged on Steve's arm gently, pulling Steve's attention back to him. "How about when the snow gets a little lighter we go out to see it? I know a few cool places we can go check it out." Steve nodded and smiled, turning back to the window to watch the snow.

"Sounds good. I still don't have a coat though."

"And I told you, don't worry about it. I got it."

But unfortunately, instead of the snow starting to let up as it got closer to the evening, it only got heavier. Danny made sure to keep an eye on his partner as the Williams family moved from one thing to the next. Everyone gathered around in the living room, piling up on couches and chairs to open presents. Steve sat up on the arm of the couch next to Danny, the two occasionally cracking jokes to each other as people opened their gifts. To his surprise, one of the gifts was for Steve. He stared at the gift in red wrapping paper topped with a shiny silver bow.

"Danny called ahead," Clara explained, smile bright on her face, "So I knew we had to get you something." Steve tore into the packaging, laughing loudly at the sight of his gift.

"It had to be fair…" Danny called out at Steve held up the 'I Love New Jersey' shirt. But underneath the shirt was a coupon for a Frank's Pizzeria which Steve held up puzzled. "Oh, that's to show you what _real_ pizza is. Not any of that pineapple pizza crap." Almost the entire Williams' family groaned at the sound of pineapple on pizza, and everyone started talking with their own opinions on pizza. Steve laughed as he listened to various discussions on it. The Williams family was strong-willed and very opinionated. Steve now understood where Danny got all his hot-headedness.

After all the presents were opened, the oven alarm went off and Clara announced it was time for dinner. The smell of freshly baked lasagna wafted through the air, making almost everyone's mouth water. They piled into the kitchen, pulling out extra chairs and setting up a second table for everyone to fit. The kitchen counter was beyond full of food, endless bowls of salad, deep dishes of lasagna, fresh bread, and vegetables, plus a section of desserts that weren't to be touched until everyone ate dinner. Everyone piled on their plates and ate and ate until no one could move. Steve didn't think he had ever eaten this much before, he felt like he was about to explode. When he finished, he excused himself from the table, making sure to snag a few more cookies, then walked back into the living room.

Danny saw his partner get up and leave, and a minute later he excused himself as well. He found Steve in the living room, slowly moving along the wall that Clara kept all the pictures of the Williams family. Danny watched silently as Steve moved from picture to picture, stopping on the big group family ones at Christmas. There were only a few of the Christmas pictures, but with each one, the family seemed to be a little bigger.

"Ma takes a picture of everyone each Christmas," Danny spoke, revealing himself and surprising Steve. "She doesn't put all of them on the wall, most of them are in one of her scrapbooks. I think it's one of her favorite things, seeing everyone all together like that."

"Yeah, it's really nice. You guys seem to have a lot of fun."

"We do. It's never dull around here," Danny agreed, noting the slight tone of regret in Steve's voice. "Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, Ma starts to call everyone together right about…"

"_Picture time!_"

From the call in the kitchen, everyone knew exactly where to go. One by one each member of the Williams family filled up the living room, setting up in the spot they knew by heart to get ready for the picture. Most of the adults stood in the back row except for Danny, who was shorter than the rest of his family and had to stand in the middle row. Eddie came out with the tripod and set up the camera on top, lining it up to fit everyone in the picture. Steve hung in the back, taking his place up against the wall looking at the talking Williams family readying for the picture. Eric was standing there on his phone, and Danny was wiping lasagna stains off Grace's mouth. Clara was helping Stella fix her hair, and Bridget was talking with the two girls.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Eddie called out, setting up the timer for the picture. Danny looking at Steve standing off behind the camera, watching the rest of them.

"Steve, get over here," Danny ordered, pointing to an empty spot in the picture. Steve's eyes widened in surprise but shook his head.

"No, no, I couldn't." Immediately the Williams family broke out in protests, all talking to him at once. It wasn't an issue at all, he was in town, he might as well be in the picture. But Steve, being the stubborn son of a gun he was, refused. It didn't make sense. It was a family picture. For a moment, Steve almost believed he won and didn't have to be in the picture, but then he caught Danny's eye and he knew he was in trouble.

"McGarrett," Danny growled, and Steve almost stood at attention it was so commanding. Danny snapped his fingers and pointed to the open spot. "Here. _Now_." Steve rolled his eyes but moved to the open spot, unable to ignore. Danny smiled as Steve took his place within the family picture. "Good boy," Steve said nothing but stared at him with a look that said _bite me_.

"Ok, _now_ everyone ready?" With no more protests, Eddie hit the timer button and jogged to his spot on the camera.

"Everyone say cheese!" Grace shouted and the beeping counted down the timer.

"Cheese!" The camera flashed and everyone gave their best smile. Eddie ran up to take a look at it, smiling at the camera.

"Perfect." The Williams family cheered and conversation resumed, everyone mobbed together around the Christmas tree. Through the chaos, Danny caught Steve's eye and nodded towards the front door.

"You ready to go?" The snow finally started to settle down and it was nice enough to go outside. The sun had set already, but where Danny had in mind there were enough lights anyway. Besides, it would make the snow look better. Steve nodded and he followed Danny out of the living room and into the hallway where Danny opened a closet, grabbing some winter clothes.

"Try these on," Danny said, tossing Steve a pair of snow boots. Steve did and they fit relatively well, they were just a bit heavier than the combat boots he normally wore. Danny then threw him a tan winter jacket and a tan and back beanie for a hat and some gloves. Danny made Steve put on the leather jacket he had on before, plus the winter jacket.

"Isn't this too much?" Steve said as he watched Danny only throw on a black winter jacket and a hat in his pocket. Steve felt like an oversized marshmallow and Danny just laughed at him.

"A Hawaii boy like you? You won't last without it." Steve seemed skeptical, but he agreed. Danny finished tying his boots and yelled out to his mom that they were going out and they'd be back later.


	5. Chapter 5

The car ride was mostly silent as they drove to the place Danny was talking about. For the first time that Danny remembered, Steve actually let him drive the car. Granted, it wasn't his Camaro it was William's SUV, but Steve actually went into the passenger's seat without argument. Danny had been shocked into silence and it ended up staying that way. Normally, Steve would've wanted to drive, but he was too busy looking at the sights around them. Danny didn't tell him where they were going, but he watched as they drove past the house and tall buildings. They were in the city, but Steve wouldn't have been able to tell any difference. It was fully in the evening now, so street lights cast shadows on people moving up and down the sidewalks, candles on the inside of the buildings dancing with the come and go. You couldn't see the stars with the clouds covering the sky, but lights at the tops of buildings acted enough like them. And above all that, snow fell from the sky, covering half a foot of snow that was already on the ground with another layer of the fine powder.

Steve barely even noticed when Danny parked the car and turned off the engine. "Steve. Come on, we're here." Steve snapped out of his zone and got out of the car, instantly cold at the gust of wind that hit him. He would never admit it, but he was glad Danny made him put on all the layers because it was _cold_.

"Where are we?" Steve asked, staring up at the flags that arched around the main center with all the different branches of the military. People walked all around the paths that stretched across the park, and trees lined the outside with benches for people to sit.

"Veteran's Memorial Park. It's close by, and I wanted someplace pretty to show you actual snow."

"It's perfect, Danny. Thanks," Steve stared wide-eyed at the sight.

"Come on, let's walk," Danny said, tugging at Steve's arm to get them on the path. They started following along on the path, boots crunching the fresh snow. Steve couldn't get enough of it. While his hand was nearly frozen, he pulled it out of his pocket and out of the glove to hold it out. A few snowflakes fell in his hand and he pulled them up close to his face to get a better look at them. They were amazing and beautiful. And _cold_. When Steve looked back up, Danny was ahead of him, head tilted back and face towards the sky, tongue sticking straight.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked in complete confusion as Danny continued to wait until some snow fell on his tongue.

"Catching snowflakes. Come on, it's fun, try it," Danny encouraged. Steve just gave him a look, which Danny returned with the same intensity until Steve gave in.

"Fine, alright." Danny watched amused as Steve turned slightly in a circle, first getting a look at the scene around him. A few people passed by, laughing quietly as they saw the absolute wonder in Steve's eyes. Finally, Steve copied the position Danny had and stuck his tongue out, waiting. A few snowflakes hit his face, but there was a surprising amount of satisfaction as some of those few hit his tongue. Unknowingly, Danny had pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Steve as he caught the snowflakes. When he finished, Steve had a bright smile on his face, one of the biggest Danny had seen in a while.

Then continued walking on, and Steve shivered. Danny noticed and couldn't help but laugh. It was pretty funny. Steve's jacket was zipped up as far as it could go, and the hat was pulled down around his ears. With all of that, Steve's face was still flushed red and he shivered occasionally.

"Cold, babe?" Danny tried to keep laughing to a minimum, but he couldn't stop. Steve glared at him, but he couldn't deny anything.

"Keep laughing. You're the one who has to go back to 100 degree summers when this is done," Steve warned, but Danny didn't care. They continued on in silence, finally finishing their first lap around the park. Now that they were moving, Steve was feeling a little better, not so cold. He had a lot on his mind, and the cold air was finally helping him start to sort it out. A few minutes later he noticed Danny staring at him.

"What?"

"You're holding back something," Danny guessed correctly. "That's why we're here. To get away from the craziness. So spit it out. You've been kind of mopey all day." Steve knew there was no getting out of talking about this, so he might as well. Just like a bandaid. Rip off the bandaid fast, more of a sting but it was shorter.

"It was kind of overwhelming. Your family is great, I love them, but there were just _so many_," Steve sighed. "You saw how I spend Christmas. No, I don't end up drunk every Christmas, it's just a rough time of year and this year was especially bad. It's just I never got that good _together_ family, where everyone had it together and all problems were put aside. It just wasn't how it worked in my house. Then next thing I know, from the few Christmases we did have, Doris is gone, I'm at in the Navy, Mary's in California, then Dad dies. So I kind of forgot about it."

Danny nodded along but stayed silent. This was one of the few times McGarrett opened up. If he talked now, he would break the spell. "But just with everyone in the same house, all together, it reminded me of what I don't have. The rest of my "family" is on the mainland or off in the middle of God knows where doing black ops stuff. Christmas isn't the same without family, and it sucks to celebrate when you don't have…"

Danny knew it was his time. "Steven, we've been over this like three times now. If you say you don't have a family I'm going to beat you until it gets through your thick skull." Danny stopped walking and stood in front of his partner, poking Steve in the chest to each word. "You. Have. A. Family." Danny turned back to the side and continued to walk and talk.

"It may not be the traditional family by blood, but that's not what matters. Family isn't always blood. You've got us, Chin and Kono and me. My daughter loves you, she calls you Uncle for Pete's sake. And while it's overwhelming because we're big and loud, but you've got my family too. They love you, Steve. We all do. I don't know what I have to do to make that clear to you, but you do. Okay? Got it?"

"Got it," Steve replied, the message clearly received. He stood at attention and gave a salute to Danny, who nodded approvingly.

"Good. Now stop here for a second, I need to tie my shoe." Steve and Danny pulled off the side of the path so Danny could step up on a bench to tie his boot. When Steve wasn't looking, Danny set up his phone so it recorded and grabbed a handful of snow. After years of experience on walking quietly on snow, Danny snuck but behind Steve and pulled back his jacket, giving a big enough opening for him to dump the handful of snow down Steve's jacket.

Steve yelled and jumped forward, back arching as the shocking temperatures almost physically hurt. Danny was off to the side, laughing so hard he could barely breathe as Steve jumped up and down, trying to shake the snow out of his jacket. When he had finally got it out enough, Danny's face was so red he was almost a tomato, and Steve saw Danny's camera set up. Steve grinned wildly, picking up a handful of snow and cupping it in his hands. Shaping it like he imagined it would go, Steve threw the snowball directly at Danny, hitting him square in the chest and spraying snow into his face. Danny looked shocked and this time it was Steve's turn to laugh.

Then the war started.

Snowball after snowball was thrown as the two members of Five-0, tried to get revenge on each other. They caused quite a scene, but neither of them really cared. Steve's strong through and wicked aim gave him somewhat of an advantage, but Danny knew how to make the perfect snowball. Just enough snow, just enough ice that it broke apart easily but also gave it a bit of a sting. Steve had taken shelter behind a big rock that gave him enough cover and a hiding place to put some snowballs. Unknowingly, Danny was about to run right behind it, and when Steve saw his partner pass, he stuck out his leg. It was too late for Danny to stop, so when he tripped over Steve's leg Danny went flying and laid sprawled out in the snow. Steve fell from laughter a few minutes later as he watched Danny sit up spitting out snow and wiping it off his face. It all ended a few minutes later, both the men with snow down the back of their jackets and in their hair. They fell back on the ground, sitting in the cold snow. They caught their breath and watched it freeze in the air.

"You ready to go home, Steven? Have enough torture?" Danny asked, seeing now that Steve was shivering again, more frequently.

"Yeah, it's pretty cold." Steve still didn't want to admit how cold he was, but there was a reason he liked Hawaii. Danny gave him a hand up. "Thanks." The thanks wasn't specific, but Danny knew exactly what it meant.

"Don't mention it," Danny brushed it off and they started walking to the car. "You have a family, Steven. Don't forget that. We're '_ohana_." Steve smiled and threw his arm around Danny's shoulders, the taller man leaning on Danny's shoulders.

"Thanks, Danno. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Steve."

* * *

**Alright guys, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a Happy New Year!**

**Be Awesome, Stay Hilarious, Trust God, and Love Avengers!**

**-avengersashley**


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